


The Baton-Pass Magic Trick

by ARandomRock



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Burglary, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Guns, Magick Tricks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27137287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARandomRock/pseuds/ARandomRock
Summary: A simple mission to secure an Egyptian table coming into Battle City. Guarded more than a case of cards, this performance will take all of the Ghoul's abilities:  Rare Hunter chasing the thrill of the hunt; The Masks' communication and combination; Pandora's magician's secrets  and Patnomimer's...stiffness.
Kudos: 4
Collections: Heka: A Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters Fan Project, Pluto's Zine Works





	The Baton-Pass Magic Trick

**Author's Note:**

> I love the Heka team almost as much as I love Pandora.

At the height of noon, smoke trickled and polluted the clear sky. Shouts and screams echoed, ruining the lunch of onlookers and the power outage turned off the duels into nothing more than people frantically waving their arms at nothing. A truck abandoned on it’s side and a small pile of cars around it where people had sped down the highway. Battle City’s central district was brought to a halt at the peak of the day. 

Pure sunlight trickled through the skyscrapers, and illuminated even the darkest corners of alleyways, there was no hiding in the shadows to crawl into the underworld, just a hunters’ speed and instincts. Footsteps of the prey hurdled behind him, with whistles chiming and batons trying to crack the sky. Tucking the briefcase a few inches higher and pulling his cape around it, Rare Hunter swiped saliva from his mouth with his thumb with a grin following afterwards. Unlocking the left side chain of his cloak, threaded the heavy briefcase though the chain. It weighed on him, making his breathing just a little bit harder, but turning towards a gate that led to a trash shoot of a sharehouse, managed to vault over it just enough with his height and start head through the building instead. 

The chain rattle and door slam was signal enough for him to hide, pulling himself into a restroom and locking the door. Taking the briefcase out, wedged at the window, it was just too small for him to get out of, but faced a window the police weren’t watching. Using the edge of his duelist disk to chisel at the plaster that held the hinge shut, eventually wedged in a stolen locator card underneath to lock up. Rubbing his finger over the top, blew it off and straightened himself out. The chants and sirens were behind him, but rest couldn’t be for long. 

Walking casually along the main street one eye trying to spy gaps in the crowd, the next spot to reach, only two blocks down. The Duel Disk on his arm however, began to beep, a red signal light and nose started emanating from it. Panicking as the other pedestrians began to turn their heads towards it, Rare Hunter ejected his deck, fighting with it not to swallow the bottom card that was a piece of his beloved exodia. This stalling however had meant that a small squad or five so Kaiba Security officers had shown, more fitter and dangerous than the average security, but that had made things sweeter. Radio in his off hand, punching the code at times with his breath, considered ditching the disk, but it was needed just for a little longer. After all, this chase was a thrill, like plucking cards off of a prey’s corpse, and he wanted to savour the taste. 

Two blocks ahead, waiting in the wings, two men in half a mask and communicator cater each, pulled up their hoods and bundled a silver briefcase underneath their arms. As the static was coming in from Rare Hunter's Radio closing in the bare mouth a countdown to each other. Pulling out onto the street, began to run through the crowd at a slower pace through the fountain square, Rare Hunter pinging a two fingered salute to his comrades as the three briefcases were shuffled between each other. The band of security guards yellowed in disagreement at what one was one in the thick shroud of people. Each one of them dividing themselves up, followed by the shouts from people knocked over, and the odd duelist who had their deck snatched out of their hand while running. 

Between the three turn offs from the fountain, the smaller fatter man whose pace was the slowest had bundled into an arcade and clamoured into an elevator. The pair of security who followed him up and into the middle floor found the white-half-Mask wearing man on the other side of the glass connector bridge to another building. They paused with fire arms raised at him. Hands up, in the air, the Mask of Light put down the briefcase and kicked it into the center of the bridge. The security was hesitant. they hadn’t even yelled out the instructions but he had followed them to a letter. He was even getting on his knees as best he could in the purple robe as they inched forward. Just a couple more steps forward and as soon as they touched the glass, small explosions down the frame. Falling to the highway below, the fake briefcase opened up and sprayed napkins all over the street blow.

In the opposite direction, now free from the burden of the museum piece he stole, Rare Hunter had his own goal. Deliver the rigged duel disk to the next trick before the Mask of Darkness reached Pandora the Conjurer. The only issue for him was not the exhaustion in the summer sun, or the security guards filling his back with bullets or tasers, but the stickiness of Pandora’s plans. The magician was dedicated, sharp and would triple check everything now to a pointless degree. He had managed to drag his pair of Kaiba Corp security towards the back end of the central business district. Pandora gave him two locations of his setups, either side to reach, the nearest one was a falling trap by the upper theatre stage. Reaching it, passed through a pair of dancing clowns outside of the theatre, advertising a circus performance. Unsure if they were the plants or not, the clowns switched places and pulled out purple flags that they waved between each other, switching sides. By the time the security caught up, there was a mess of four purple capes blocking the entire view of the main street. Flecks of lilac hair from Rare Hunter and the beeping noise pulled the Security guards to charge through, yelling them to clear the way. The next trap sprung, the clouds pulled away to reveal nothing but an upside down broom that fell flat,beeping on the fake briefcase alarm chirping away, Happily beeping underneath it. Eyes opened, guns drawn, the pair gave a punt to the fake briefcase. The clowns behind them revealed their costumes and purple cloaks. The small explosion had knocked both guards unconscious and Pandora, wrapping Rare Hunter’s cloak around himself, and tipped his hat. Rare Hunter, who was exhaustedly panting, still shocked at the fact he was given a damn bomb to hold gave an awkward smile back. Taking the stolen alerting duel disk, Pandora pulled his own radio out. 

“This performance is exhilarating my friends! Let us head to the main show and clear the rest of the rats of Kaibacorp! Traditional entertainment can never be surpassed by technology!” The last part of the puzzle, the Mask of Darkness had two jobs to do: Firstly, reach the residential plaza at the back just before the harbour; as well after the first vanish to pass the real briefcase to either Pandora or the mime kid. Pandora had assured him in their plan for raiding one of KaibaCorp’s protected plans was flawless and the variables were controlled, and while his distrust wasn’t unfounded the combinations he and his other half had made...It reassured him as he kept beaming straight forward for the harbor. And as it was, there in front him washing lines. Endless washing lines of the cheap duelist houses for those who had come to Battle City for a new life hung out their sponsored t-shirts. Exactly as Pandora had predicted, there was one half way down and on the line, pulling it down into a triangle was a hanging cane. The following two security guards had shouted at him to freeze and give up the goods in the dead end. Turning with a smile, the Mask of Darkness, unhooked the cane. The wire shot up, and pil;es of clothing fell down as the flicking up of the back washing line caused a chain reaction fluttering alongside the flutters of flyers for KaibaCorp’s tournament, dumped from a recycling box tipped over and down. To the MAsk of Darkness’s side in the confusion, a door opened and through it he bundled in and was hidden inside a cupboard, a pair of car keys now hanging in front of him. 

By the time the security had followed suit he had retreated and taken the van that waited for him outside. Plucking his eye open and trying to talk to Pandora sitting in the passenger side stock stiff. Laughing to himself and narrating what was going on, his eye popped open at why the masked magician wasn’t responding. Mask was probably rooting in his noggin’ like he does with the mime and that canadian-american guy. In truth, on the other side another Pandora who was holding the duel disk with the tracker had thrown off Rare Hunter’s purple cape and the two security guards shouted at him down. Detached from the rest of their squad, too busy getting yelled from KaibaCorp to bring back the stolen museum piece dead or alive, their aggression stepped up. Even a few shots whizzed past the side curl’s of Pandora’s mask, but there in front of him the truck sat. 

With the truck in place, Pandora clipped the top of his hat onto the passenger seat as he pulled himself through the window. The two last security guards in full uniforms and hands on the side of their firepiece held the side of their guns. Circling the fan and shouting as Pandora turned the key a couple times to start the engine. Pulling the steering real but not a peep or even a look of panic in the driver’s face made the security team close in. The commander with his gun drawn at the driver, commanded the other one to open the door … .where Pandora fell out. The mask rolled off to

reveal … .a blank face. The younger security guard poked his eye up and gave it a couple kicks before shouting out that it was a dummy! 

“That’s not right! The Duelist tracker in the duel disk says the man was here! He’s still here! Check the boot!” 

A shout as the younger man scrambled around the van, but the back, the cargo even the luggage box was empty. It was only when he had turned around to the commander that the security chief that he noticed another duelist looking at him. Standing there frozen in place a bald headed man with a Duel Disk on his arm and messenger bag around him. Standing up straight and saluting at him to not be afraid, called out the standing dark eyed man. Not a peep, or movement. The commander made a joke to be careful that it was another dummy but the so-called dummy had walked forward towards them and poked a hand out pointing to another van that was driving away. While the commander didn’t fall for it, the younger security had pulled his head around the corner with the tracker in his hand, only to find that the magician’s Duel Disk.... 

Was on him! 

Before the beeping was even acknowledged, the security guard’s neck was chopped. Instantly out on the floor, the real puppet stuffed the body behind a waste bin from the shops. The chief, who had finished the van, looked and shouted for his cohort. Approaching the mime for information, and growling in his face for information. Shouting that the beeps from the Duel Disk was here! In fact the chief could even hear them right at his ear...!the body hit the floor as silence fell and their trick came to an end. Tapping on the top hat that was too small for his actual head, Pandora felt the messenger back of the mime, and indeed the stolen Egyptian Tablet was still in there. “Pantomimer, your strength is almost terrifying … ” 

Placing the silver briefcase in his bag, Pantomimer continued on his journey to the lower side of town by the docklands. His Master's warmth and glow pulling his feet away from the sirens and shouts of the city center behind him. The peaceful home stretch of the delivery of the Egyptian tablet became uneventful. The peaceful sea breeze and gentle rocking boats in the distance soothed his soul as behind him, the smug smile of Rare Hunter caught up. Using the sweat on his forehead to gel up his hair once more and lifting up his cape in victory to catch the wind, gave a wolf’s roar to the moon. Rubbing the bald head as he chirped on by, shuffling through the other couple decks of cards he stole on his way. Bundling into the purple cloud leaking doorway. 

“Hey keep the door open!” 

“Yeah man! We saved your ass!” 

Two hands on either side of Pantomimer’s shoulder, the two Masks of Light and Dark both did a winger point at him. Ditching the fake briefcases into the shipping bin to the side. rattled their hands in a mixture of points and claps. Synchronised, rehearsed dances as they slipped into the hideout. Silence fell just for a second as Pantomimer still staring straight forward, without Marik plugging in any instructions, his brain had come to a general stop on what to do. His hands half mimicked the finger guns of the masks as he stumbled a couple steps forward, only to feel something tap the top of his head. 

“Everyone is energetic after a performance well done. It makes me yearn, Pantomimer. Another job is another step forward to being reconnected … ” 

The smaller doll’s top hat slid slightly askew on Pnatomimer’s head but it caused him to put a hand on. Pandora had taken a few steps forward but paused when he noticed the mime had not followed him. Squatting to his level, Pandora blinked through his own mask, there was so little detail in Pantomimer’s eyes. Everyone came under Master Marik’s bondage for one reason or another, yet there didn’t seem to be anyone waiting in Pantomimer’s eyes. He didn’t actually appear to be that old, at least half the age of the Masks, being generous to the puppets, a small tiny thing clinged to Pandora, an odd feeling, akin to his darling’s smile. 

“Master Marik will be displeased we keep him waiting, young Pantomimer. We are all ghouls down here, regardless of our pasts.” 

Holding out his hand, Pantomimer broke his pose and limply placed his hand in Pandora’s. The magician gave a smile, it appeared his skills with an audience had never dulled, not for a

moment. The puppet’s hand was cold, and almost empty as his eyes, but the grip that crushed the Magician’s fingers was true. Pandora wasn’t expecting this full-kid like behaviour but who would’ve known what constant Marik invasion would do a person. Master Marik could pull any memories at the snap of his finger, so Pandora had at least wondered as they stepped in front of the gateway. “Every bad memory can be replaced,” Marik had once told them. 

Yet as all 5 of them stood in front of their Master’s board face looking over the retrieved egyptian tablet, there was a sense that. 

Perhaps, new better ones could be made. 

Or perhaps, Master Marik would kick them back out to go on their rounds and search for the other items.


End file.
